The Story of Angela’s House

My chair beckons me to come and sit awhile. It seems Jesus sits there waiting for me to join Him. In my chair, my heart and mind are always able to focus more clearly on His presence. I’ve grown to love my chair.

It’s there I meet Him, sense His presence, meditate, pray, talk, cry, think and imagine. It’s where I’m able to focus more clearly on all the ways God has led, guided and directed my entire life. It’s where I’m able to find strength, courage, and confidence to press on when I feel like caving to the pressures of life.

I heard a statement by TD Jakes sometime ago. He said, “When nothing seems to be going right in your life, when you’re exhausted and there are no answers, simply sit still and wait. Sit until you can trust He is with you.”

It’s what I do when I sit in my chair. I focus on trusting Him.

Back to what I said at the beginning. Two weeks ago while sitting in my chair I was telling God I wish I could be a hands-on helper to children who are lost, neglected, used, abused, homeless, hungry, and without parents. For years, I’ve dreamed of a home for girls that have suffered this type of trauma.

My prayer may have come about because I see so much need and abuse and my heart fills up with compassion.

Having compassion and doing nothing about it seems so empty.

It’s not that I don’t do anything at all but what I do seems so small because the needs are overwhelming. I’m like many people I know. We give financially to those who are the boots-on-the-ground. The people who are compassionate and making a difference.

These people build the children’s homes. They rescue children from human trafficking. They travel around the world drying the tears, loving them, giving them food and shelter. They give them education and teach them there is a God who created them and loves them.

As I was talking to God and lamenting about my hands off compassion I got up from my chair trusting God would show me something new.

The very next day I received an email from a recent connection I made with Advancing Native Missions (ANM).

They requested Jonas and I come to speak at a dedication for a children’s home they were opening in Thailand. The date was September the 8th.

It struck me the dedication was on the anniversary of our sweet Angie going to her forever home. I gave it some thought and concluded, with regret, we could not make the event.

Our friend at ANM went on to say that after reading my book “Twist of Faith” he realized the day of the dedication for the children’s home was the anniversary of Angie’s passing. He and his wife were in tears as they realized the date of the dedication coincided with Angie’s date.

He felt like it was not a coincidence and asked if we would allow them to name the home after Angela.

Angela’s House.

My eyes began tearing up and then tears rolled down my cheeks like a stream. Immediately I remembered my prayer.

God orchestrated the answer to my specific prayer within two days.

Angela’s House is my boots-on-the-ground halfway around the world in a village among the hill tribes of Northern Thailand.

Our sweet Angie lived on planet earth only 19 short months but has left an impact on my life that I cannot put into words. My vocabulary is too limited and the levels of this experience through the years at times have left me speechless.

I know Angela is more alive than I am and so it should come as no surprise her life is still making an impact. This one just blew me away and then filled me with overflowing joy.

Angela’s House is a literal building for little girls who are used, abused, have no food, no parents and no one to tell them they’re loved.

Angela’s House will give them all they need in this life and they’ll discover there is a God who cares for them and they can know Him.

They will meet Angela in Heaven one day.

And I hope that one day I’ll look back and realize, this was God’s way of allowing me to be the boots-on-the-ground.

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